Kia Drops the Cheapest Sorento Plug-in Hybrid, and the 2027 Price Jumps to $53,890
The $48,290 EX is gone, leaving the X-Line SX-Prestige as the only 2027 Sorento PHEV. It gains a head-up display and costs $400 more, $6,300 above the equivalent hybrid.
Kia has priced the 2027 Sorento Plug-in Hybrid, and the cheapest way into one now costs $5,600 more than it did a year ago. That's not because the price went up much; it's because the $48,290 EX trim is gone. The only 2027 Sorento PHEV is the X-Line SX-Prestige with all-wheel drive, at $53,890 before a $1,495 destination charge, or $55,385 all in.
The move follows the pattern Kia set a few days earlier when it priced the 2027 Sorento Hybrid: the top trim rises by $400 and gains a standard head-up display, while destination climbs by $50. The difference is that the hybrid also got a cheaper X-Line EX, whereas the plug-in lost its entry trim entirely. For 2026, the same X-Line SX-Prestige PHEV cost $53,490 plus $1,445 destination, according to Kia's pricing announcement from last year.
What the one remaining trim gets
Beyond the head-up display, Kia adds X-Line embossing to the front seatbacks and machined wood inlays on the dash and doors, the same trim treatment the hybrid X-Line models received. The rest of the package carries over: gun-metal lower bumper trim and grille surround, gloss-black window surrounds, black roof rails and mirror caps, and 19-inch black wheels. Pale Gray replaces Steel Gray on the color chart, and a combined Level 1 and Level 2 charging cable remains standard.
Kia's release doesn't mention any powertrain changes. The 2026 model pairs a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor for 261 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, drives all four wheels through a six-speed automatic, and was rated at up to 31 miles of electric range and 33 mpg combined once the gas engine takes over, per Kia's figures as reported by Cars.com. Kia hasn't published 2027 EPA ratings yet.
A $6,300 premium over the hybrid
Dropping the EX makes the plug-in a harder sell inside Kia's own showroom. The 2027 Sorento Hybrid X-Line SX-Prestige, with the same head-up display and the same X-Line trim, costs $47,590, so the plug-in version of the identical trim now carries a $6,300 premium for the bigger battery and 34 extra horsepower. Last year a buyer could get into a Sorento PHEV for $1,100 more than the top hybrid; now the gap starts at $6,300 and there is no cheaper way around it.
Against outside rivals, the Sorento sits in the middle of a thin three-row plug-in field. Mitsubishi's Outlander PHEV starts at $43,245 and offers 45 miles of electric range, according to Mitsubishi pricing reported by The Drive, though it is a smaller vehicle with a tight third row. Mazda's CX-90 PHEV starts at $50,495 for the Preferred trim and runs to $58,500, per Mazda's 2026 pricing, with 323 hp but only 26 miles of range. Lexus went the other way for 2027 and dropped the TX plug-in altogether.
Kia is condensing the lineup from a position of strength. Hybrids drove the brand's record third quarter, and Sorento Hybrid sales more than doubled in September. The plug-in remains an import: Kia's own footnote excludes the HEV and PHEV from the Sorento versions assembled in the United States, which makes a $400 increase look restrained given tariff exposure. The gas-only 2027 Sorento starts at $32,590, more than $21,000 below the sole plug-in.
Kia hasn't said when the 2027 Sorento PHEV reaches dealers or whether 2026 EX models will remain in stock to bridge the gap.
